Reader Question: Where Can I Find Morcilla?

Tracking down specialty foods from underrepresented cultures can be tricky. The food of Spain, in particular, doesn’t get much attention in Denver, with very few restaurants devoted to Spanish cuisine or tapas done properly (especially since the wonderful Ondo’s in Cherry Creek closed two years ago). That’s why reader Roger recently contacted us looking for places that sell morcilla, a Spanish blood sausage.

The good news, Roger: I’ve found blood sausage at a few butcher shops, mainly Eastern European places like Sawa Meat & Sausage (with shops at 3206 Wadsworth Boulevard in Wheat Ridge and 2318 South Colorado Boulevard), Continental Deli, at 250 Steele Street, and Karl’s Deli in Centennial. The bad news: I haven’t found a retail market that sells Spanish foods, especially morcilla. Sawa’s is Polish-style and contains buckwheat, which gives the sausage a distinct earthy flavor; Continental and Karl’s both sell German-style blood sausage.
So I made a call to St. Kilian’s Cheese Shop, at 3211 Lowell Boulevard, and discovered that the shop sells a good-quality packaged morcilla made by La Española Meats.

If you’re dining out, look for great versions of morcilla or similar housemade sausage at Leña, the pan-Latin American eatery at 24 Broadway, or Euclid Hall in Larimer Square, which cranks out a surprisingly delicate boudin noir. Further south, Tapas d’Jerez, at South Holly Street and County Line Road in Centennial, plates up a sizzling morcilla a la plancha, along with plenty of other traditional Iberian specialties.

Happy morcilla hunting! Readers, let us know if you’ve spotted any Spanish markets or eateries in town to help Roger find what he’s looking for.